This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Valley City • Outsiders think they have the Hunter High drill team all figured out. With a new coaching staff, 11 new members, and sophomores accounting for nearly half the squad, the perennial drill powerhouse can't expect much success this year, right?
"People outside our team think it's a transition year: new coaches, new team," said Tessa Conder, president of the Hunter drill team. "We don't have that attitude at all. We're like, 'We want first in region. We want first in state.' "
The turnover has inspired a "renewed sense of determination," said coach Danie Natter, a Hunter alum.
Last year, the Hunter drill team, nicknamed the Silhouettes, dominated regional competition. The team won every category and sailed to the Region 2 crown before taking fifth place at state.
"[This year], they don't want to be just 'top five,' they want to get to the top of the top," Natter said.
The Silhouettes' most recent state championships came in 1997 and 1998, and they finished second in state in 2008. Members believe the team has what it takes to win at the state finals Feb. 4 at Utah Valley University.
"I think our potential is just so much higher than I ever thought it was," said Kaycee Kingsbury, drill team vice president. "It's been amazing to see just how far we've come since the summertime. Girls that were struggling have overcome obstacles and become beautiful dancers."
Hunter High is no stranger to obstacles, Conder said.
"Being on the west side, it's obviously a lower-income area, and fewer girls can afford to take [dance lessons] at the big studios, and all the big studios are on the east side," Conder said. "The reason I think we're so successful, and that Hunter always has been, is that we've had to overcome so many things. I think what's different for us is we have heart."
Natter said her dancers are less likely to have benefited from long-term, sustained dancing instruction. "I think a lot of that is the demographic we pull from," she said.
Last year, after securing the Region 2 championship, lead dancer Sheriann Decker broke her wrist. Others had to step up. Hunter regrouped, finishing in fifth place.
"It wasn't everything that we wanted, but everything that we overcame and the performance that we had, I was proud of what we took," Conder said. "We came together as a team, and that's what Hunter always does. We have all these obstacles and we always overcome them."